Rampant Crusaders run wild against Reds

The Crusaders booked a place in the Super Rugby Semi-finals when they hammered the Reds 38-9 in Christchurch in their qualifying play off.

The Crusaders outscored the 2011 Super Rugby champions by four tries to none in the match.

The Crusaders have never lost a play off match at home in Super Rugby history and have now won their last five matches against all opposition this year.

The Crusaders will now wait to see who wins the Brumbies vs Cheetahs match on Sunday to find out whether they will play the Chiefs in Hamilton or the Bulls in Pretoria.

The Bulls will play the highest ranked team between the Brumbies, Crusaders and Cheetahs so this result means that if the Brumbies beat the Cheetahs in the second Super
Rugby qualifier on Sunday they will play the Bulls next week and the Crusaders
would play the Chiefs as the Crusaders finished in fourth place and the Brumbies in third place.

Should the Cheetahs win they will play the Chiefs in Hamilton and the Crusaders will play the Bulls in Pretoria.

The Crusaders will face either of those assignments with confidence after Saturday's
comprehensive win as from the start they physically overpowered the Reds in every
area.

The result also means that Ewen McKenzie's time with the Reds is over and he will now take over as Wallabies coach.

The Reds had not won in Christchurch since 1999 and had hoped to come away with a cleansweep against New Zealand teams in 2013 as they had already beaten the other four Kiwi Super Rugby teams.

The match also saw All Black and regular Crusaders captain Richie McCaw win his first Super Rugby cap this year as he came on with 15 minutes left on the stadium clock.

All Black star Dan Carter scored the second of four tries by the Christchurch-based
Crusaders and kicked three conversions and three penalties - six goals from
eight attempts - to reward his team's physical domination of the Reds, who were
champions two years ago.

Ryan Crotty scored first try in the 10th minute, running off a pass from Carter
who took the ball to the gain-line from a five-meter scrum.

Carter scored his own try in the 30th minute after an outstanding lone break
by Sam Whitelock, carried on with quick passes by Israel Dagg and Zac Guildford.

Winger Tom Marshall scored in the 51st minute after Crockett had split open
the Reds defence and linked with Todd, who provided the last pass to the try-scorer.

The Reds were almost cowed when Reid and Carter combined in the buildup to
Crotty's second try 15 minutes from fulltime.

The Crusaders dominated the contact area with powerful tackles, with physical
force and with technique which brought them seven breakdown turnovers.

They were able to advance beyond the gain-line at every venture, brushing
aside the Reds ineffective interior defence.

When they did so, creating even partial breaks, there were players in ready
support and all Crusaders - backs and forwards - had the level of skill to keep
the ball alive and offload in tackles.

Backrowers George Whitelock, Kieran Read and Matt Todd easily thrust their
way through tackles then picked out supporting players with well-timed passes.

But even tight forwards such as prop Wyatt Crockett and lock Sam Whitelock
- the latter one of the most energetic players on the field - had the ability
to brush past the shoulders of Queensland tacklers, to extend their arms and
feed the ball to teammates in space.

Carter ran vigorously into contact and either passed or established quick and
accurate phase play.

There was a stark comparison in the record of his opposite number, out of favor
Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper, who was so reluctant to take the ball into contact
he wasn't once tackled in the first half, nor did he make a tackle one-on-one.

The only Reds players to make a significant impact were scrumhalf Will Genia,
who placed himself defensively in the backfield to take Crusaders' kicks and
who was steady in that effort.

Lock James Horwill returned to the Reds' lineup, along with Genia, after leading
the Wallabies in their three-test series against the British and Irish Lions.

He had an unusually subdued game, hovering mostly in midfield, and was substituted
after only 60 minutes.

In contrast, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw took the field as a replacement
in the 65th minute to end an eight month "sabbatical" absence from
top-line rugby.

He carried the ball over the advantage line with his first touch, helping to
set up the Crusaders' final try and the second of the night to center Crotty.

The Crusaders will now attempt to end a title drought which goes back to 2008
when they won their seventh championship: following those they achieved in 1998,
1999, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006.